the two countries, two governments working together to try to work out what they can do to bring had an end to this hostage situation. state department officials would not confirm any numbers, any names, any details about this. they say they want to keep everything under wraps so they can work the channels as best they know how. this, of course, a very concerning situation with these islamic militants taking the hostages. among them some americans, just put the map back up again. we're going to talk about mali in the south. look to the east. it is possibly no coincidence that this gas field is right on the border with libya. the rise of islamic extremism right across north africa is a major concern right now for u.s. officials. >> as you look at that map, you can see mali is well to the south. all of this is related to the fight against islamists in the neighboring country. >> reporter: remember the french launched an air campaign on friday. aircraft, jet fighters, helicopters also going in. they have now made this a ground campaign. remember, we heard from leon panetta just a couple